Coercion Will Not Silence Our Message

On Friday, April 13th Holiday Inn & Suites informed Hizb ut Tahrir America that they canceled the reservation for our annual Khilafah Conference titled, ‘Assault on the Muslim Mind.’ They offered no explanation other than stating this “decision was from corporate and others.” One must question the abrupt cancellation, just a week prior to the scheduled event.

Hizb ut Tahrir America addresses the following points:

Fallacy of free speech: Canceling the Hizb ut Tahrir America event shows that free speech is selective. Hate groups, alt-right and Nazi sympathizers are given platforms by various venues to host their events. So, why is it that when we would like to articulate our views our events are canceled? Hizb ut Tahrir does not call for hate speech or advocate violence. We articulate the fallacies of Secular ideals and offer the Islamic alternative.

Coercion from government authorities and far-right groups: Government authorities and far-right groups in the past have pressured the venues to cancel our events. Let it be clear to all detractors that coercion will not silence our message. Our event is about the government agenda to secularize the Muslim mind and counter the Secular narrative on Islam. Canceling our events only validates our point.

Coercive tactics to pressure the Muslim community: Muslim communities have come under increasing pressure to silence dissenting voices and the Secular-liberal narratives on Islam. For decades the Muslim community has been viewed through the lens of national security, terrorism and forced integration. We are coerced to assimilate, prove our patriotism, adopt Western values, reform and redefine Islam so that it is palatable to secular liberalism! Moreover, draconian measures like Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) that involves surveillance, intimidation and agent provocateurs have created fear and mistrust in our communities. Such coercive tactics will not silence our message.

The message of Islam exposes the weak foundations of Secularism. Islam offers viable alternatives to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It offers solutions to the disorder caused by Secularism. We aspire to liberate the Muslim mind from the constraints of secular-liberal thought. We expose the covert and overt tactics utilized by the West to pacify and secularize Muslims. Without a doubt, it is clear the conference topic is powerful and has the promise of exposing the fallacies of those who strive to suppress the Haqq (truth).

Finally, we advise the Muslim community to stand firm with Hizb ut Tahrir and resist the government pressure, counter the Secular narrative on Islam and protect the Muslim mind. Allah (swt) says: يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِؤُواْ نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللّهُ إِلاَّ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ“They want to extinguish Allah’s Light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the disbelievers hate it.” [At-Taubah: 32]

The event is re-scheduled for April 29th 2018. Further details will be made available on our website and Facebook page.